Space.com
• Tariq Malik
NASA and SpaceX are targeting an Oct. 1 Falcon 9 launch for Crew-13, sending four astronauts—including veteran flyer Jessica Watkins and three first-time space travelers—to the International Space Station. Weather remained a constraint, with forecasts indicating a 60% chance of acceptable conditions for liftoff.
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Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said the company still aims to return its New Glenn rocket to flight before the end of the year, despite a May explosion at Cape Canaveral. Limp also said the company’s first outside funding round is oversubscribed and remains open.
Chinese launch startup Z-Trak Space has secured a new funding round to advance its Fission-A small reusable rocket, which uses electric-pump propulsion. The company is targeting a first flight in late 2027, adding another entrant to China’s developing commercial launch sector.
The FCC advanced its deregulation agenda with two decisions: exempting certain space activities from federal environmental regulations and making 1,000 megahertz of spectrum available. The actions could reduce regulatory requirements for affected space activities while expanding access to communications capacity.
High activity
NASA and SpaceX are targeting an Oct. 1 Falcon 9 launch for Crew-13, sending four astronauts—including veteran flyer Jessica Watkins and three first-time space travelers—to the International Space Station. Weather remained a constraint, with forecasts indicating a 60% chance of acceptable conditions for liftoff.
High activity
SpaceX’s Starship Flight 14 completed its mission despite engine losses on both stages: Booster 21 flew its full profile, while Ship 41 reached orbit, deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites and safely returned to the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii. Preparations for Flight 15 are now underway.
Hop Aero has raised $11 million to develop suborbital point-to-point logistics, following the company’s participation in Y Combinator’s summer batch. The funding represents a new private-sector investment in space transportation concepts aimed at moving goods between distant locations through suborbital flight.
Blackswan Space has raised €2.5 million in seed funding as it prepares to launch its first in-orbit mission for the RPO Kit payload. The demonstration will advance the company’s rendezvous and proximity operations technology in space.
Sophia Space and Redwire have agreed to collaborate on the development and deployment of scalable, space-based computing infrastructure. The partnership targets orbital data centers, signaling continued commercial interest in moving data processing and related infrastructure into space.
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